No Park is an Island

Skyline Drive was conceived and built so that people could enjoy views of the rural Shenandoah Valley and Virginia Piedmont, where the landscape from Signal Knob Overlook appears as brush strokes of farms, homes, forests, and small businesses. Although this view remains mostly rural, it is less rural than it was 23, 30, or 50 years ago, as more houses and businesses have been built and the scene has been losing its folk art character. Shenandoah National Park is not an island, because expansion, industrialization, and the building of cell phone towers outside its boundaries affect the park and the views from Skyline Drive. Park management can make decisions to protect and preserve resources inside Shenandoah, but surrounding communities also have a role because many views from the overlooks and peaks lie in towns and cities beyond park boundaries. This creates a delicate balance between development and preservation. From this overlook, Signal Knob, the northernmost peak of Massanutten Mountain, is visible, and much of the Massanutten remains undeveloped because it is public land protected as part of the George Washington National Forest. The Shenandoah River can also be seen flowing north to its confluence with the Potomac before emptying into the Chesapeake Bay.

Virginia · United States